Singapore’s TFR by race

Singaporean Chinese have been leading the way in choosing to not have kids.

Based on Government data, they nearly almost always had the lowest TFR among the racial groups between 1980 and 2011.

We chose to start studying data from 1980 since that was the year that Government records began differentiating between resident population (Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents) and total population.

While it may be difficult to explain how this phenomenon is achieved, the reasons behind it may lie with Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

A Chinese majority’s bearing on Singapore’s “economic success”

In 1989, then-Prime Minister Lee allegedly said that Singaporean Chinese must maintain their majority must maintain their majority, “or there will be a shift in the economy, both the economic performance and the political backdrop which makes that economic performance possible.”

In the same year, Singapore begun importing “foreign talents” for the first time, although limited to professionals from Hong Kong.

Even though just 81 professionals were initially granted permanent residence, Mr Lee had to defend the policy by convincing Singaporeans that the employment of local professionals was not threatened.

According to one academic, Mr Lee separately explained that maintaining the Chinese majority was integral to economic success, due to the “culture” and “nature” of the ethnic group.

Racial breakdown of new citizens unknown

Some speculate that Singapore may be artificially manipulating its ethnic ratio, perhaps guided by this “policy”.

The easiest way to do this is by allowing more ethnically-Chinese new citizens in, at levels just enough to offset the fact that Singaporean Chinese aren’t giving birth as much as other races are.

While official figures of new citizens’ racial background aren’t readily available, The Straits Times reports that about 20,000 people become new Singaporeans annually.

Do you think there are other reasons for how Singapore maintains a majority Chinese population? Let us know in the comments below.